Clydesdale (pronounced ; in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

, ) was a local government district in the

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...

of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. The district was initially called Lanark when created in 1975, but changed its name to Clydesdale in 1980. Clydesdale was an old name for the county of

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

, one of the historic

counties of Scotland The counties or shires of Scotland () were historic subdivisions of Scotland. The shires were originally established in the Middle Ages for judicial purposes, being territories over which a Sheriff principal, sheriff had jurisdiction. They wer ...

. Both the names Clydesdale and Strathclyde reference the area's position in the valley ( strath or dale) of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

History

The district was created in 1975 under the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament (UK), act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government of Scotland, local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The act followed and largely impleme ...

, which established a two-tier structure of local government across mainland Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Lanark was one of nineteen districts created within the region of

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath

of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...

. The district covered the whole area of five former districts from the historic county of

: * Biggar

Burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

Lanark Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...

Burgh *First

District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

*Second

*Third

The district was initially named "Lanark" after the area's main town.Clydesdale
Undiscovered Scotland The council changed the name to "Clydesdale" in 1980. The district was roughly conterminous to Lanarkshire's historic 'upper ward', being its southern part, the largest part in area but more rural and agricultural in character than the 'middle' and 'lower' wards which covered the densely-populated industrial towns in and around the lower Clyde Valley and the city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. The district was abolished in 1996 under the

Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the current Local government in Scotland, local government structure of 32 Unitary authority, unitary authori ...

which replaced regions and districts with unitary council areas.

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

council area was formed covering the districts of Clydesdale, East Kilbride,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, and parts of the City of Glasgow district. The term Clydesdale continues to be used locally, usually in contexts comparing issues affecting the rural southern territory differently to the more urbanised north, or in names of organisations which focus on the area around Lanark. Four of the multi-member wards used by South Lanarkshire Council since 2007 use the name: Clydesdale East, Clydesdale North, Clydesdale South and Clydesdale West with a combined population of 61,613 in 2019; these roughly correspond to the Clydesdale constituency of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

established in 1999.

Political control

The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows:

Premises

The council initially used various offices which had been inherited from its predecessor districts. By 1978 it had moved into the converted and extended former St Mary's Hospital buildings on South Vennel in Lanark, which had been built in the 1860s. Since the council's abolition the building has been an area office for South Lanarkshire Council. Clydesdale (district).PNG, Map of Scotland showing the historic district of Clydesdale The imperial gazetteer of Scotland; or, Dictionary of Scottish topography, compiled from the most recent authorities, and forming a complete body of Scottish geography, physical, statistical, and (14759498386).jpg, 1868 map of

with its three 'wards' labelled, Clydesdale corresponding to the Upper Ward

References

External links

Historic map showing Clydesdale divided in Nether and Upper WardsHistoric map showing Clydesdale in ScotlandHistoric map showing Clydesdale in ScotlandHistoric map showing Clydesdale in ScotlandHistoric map showing Clydesdale in Scotland
{{Authority control Districts of Scotland Strathclyde Geography of South Lanarkshire Politics of South Lanarkshire 1975 establishments in Scotland 1996 disestablishments in Scotland States and territories established in 1975 States and territories disestablished in 1996

History

Political control

Premises

See also

References

External links